CLARION UNIVERSITY WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL TEAM HONORS SENIORS TUESDAY NIGHT WHILE SEEKING PSAC PLAYOFF SPOT
The Clarion University women’s volleyball team will honor its three seniors – Colleen Sherk, Sara Heyl and Tonya Zatko – Tuesday night when it hosts Slippery Rock in a key PSAC-West match that starts at 7 p.m.
The Golden Eagles (28-6 overall, 5-3 PSAC-West) have an opportunity to secure a PSAC Playoff berth with a win over The Rock and either an IUP loss against Lock Haven or a California loss to Edinboro. If IUP and California both win, the Golden Eagles, if they beat Slippery Rock, still control their own destiny if they beat Edinboro Saturday, Nov. 6. It would be Clarion’s first outright PSAC Playoff spot since 1990, although the Golden Eagles played a playoff play-in game against Lock Haven in 1997. The Golden Eagles won the 1988 PSAC Title.
Securing a playoff position would just add to the sweetness of the night for the three seniors, who have been instrumental in the resurgence of Clarion volleyball.
The three-some have helped the Golden Eagles to a combined four-year record of 108-37 (74.5 percent) while securing NCAA Division II playoff berths in each of the last two seasons.
Sherk, who earned AVCA All-Region honors last season, ranks fourth in school history in kills (1,156) and sixth in blocks (401) while adding 209 career digs and 15 career service aces. She has a career hitting percentage of .385. This season she is second on the team in both kills (457) and blocks (91) and leads the team with a .404 hitting percentage.
Heyl ranks seventh in school history in kills (965) and fourth in digs (1,305) while adding 177 set assists, 108 service aces and 225 blocks. This season she leads the Golden Eagles with 470 kills while ranking second with 428 digs while adding 91 blocks.
Zatko, who was injured most of last season, has 536 career kills, 128 digs and 139 blocks. This season she has 142 kills, 30 digs and 32 blocks.
GOLDEN EAGLE NOTES: Six teams qualify for the PSAC Tournament – the top three teams from the PSAC-West and the top three from the PSAC-East … Clarion holds head-to-head tiebreakers in the West against California and IUP but the Golden Eagles lose a head-to-head tie-breaker to Lock Haven … Clarion could clinch a share of the PSAC-West title with two wins and a Lock Haven loss … The Eagles could also be the No. 1 seed from the PSAC-West with two wins and two Lock Haven loses … Clarion’s fourth-year head coach Tracey Fluharty is 108-37 in her tenure at Clarion and 207-93 (69 percent) in her eight years as a head coach including four at Glenville St.
Colleen Sherk
Sara Heyl
Tonya Zatko